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“That was a mistake. I’m sorry about that. I take responsibility,” said Hillary Rodham Clinton about her use of a private email server during her tenure as secretary of state. (Associated Press) more >

By Kelly Riddell -
The Washington Times
-
Wednesday, September 9, 2015

“Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton has become the open and accessible candidate — sharing beers with reporters, taking endless questions from voters at campaign events and showing rare glimpses of emotion.”

No, that isn’t a line from Monday’s New York Times or Washington Post articles, where Mrs. Clinton’s aides attest she will show “more humor and heart,” on the campaign trail. It was from a 2008 New York Times story, promising a revived Clinton strategy at a time when Mrs. Clinton’s likability was being questioned, and then Senator Barack Obama was coming up strong in the polls, and surprisingly won the Iowa caucus.

“She has become more accessible and personable as she has become less of a sure bet,” wrote Mark Leibovich in a New York Times article dated January 8, 2008.

Now, as Mrs. Clinton battles the self-inflicted wounds of having a private email server, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) surges to her left and Vice President Joe Biden considers a run for office, Mrs. Clinton aims to show her softer side. She will appear on the Ellen DeGeneres show on Thursday and the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.

“…Hillary Rodham Clinton, trying to warm up an image some voters perceive as cold, starts a drive Monday to showcase her personal side with testimonials from friends, associates and constituents she has helped,” a USA Today article, dated December 2007, read, depicting the debut of Mrs. Clinton’s so-called “likability tour” around Iowa.